Lane snapper, Lutjanus synagrisIn Florida waters, lane snapper are found over a variety of bottom types, including reefs,rocky outcrops, shipwrecks, smooth bottom in association with seagrass, and mangrove proproots. The species ranges from northern Florida south throughout the Gulf of Mexico andCaribbean south to southeastern Brazil. Spawning occurs from March through September; peakspawning activity occurs during June–August (Manooch 1984). Both sexes mature at age 1 or assmall as 5.9 inches total length (TL). Lane snapper have been aged to 10 years on the Atlanticcoast of Florida (Manooch and Mason 1984) and to 17 years in the northern Gulf of Mexico(Johnson et al. 1995). Lengths at age are larger in the northern gulf through about age 10; maleswere generally larger than females, at least through age 9 (Table 1).Total annual landings of lane snapper in Florida during 2005 were 300,008 pounds. Therecreational fishery made 93 % of the statewide landings in 2005. Landings were greater on thegulf coast, where about 69% of the statewide landings were made. Commercial landings of lanesnapper were highest in Dade and Palm Beach Counties on the Atlantic coast (Fig. 1). Thegreatest recreational landings of lane snapper were in the southwest region of Florida from Levyto Collier Counties during 2005 (Fig. 2). The 2005 total landings of lane snapper were 1.5%lower than the average landings in the previous five years (2000-2004) and were 18% lower thanthe 1982-2005 historical average landings (Fig 3). Total annual landings of lane snapper havebeen small but gradually increasing on the Atlantic coast since 1991 (Fig. 3). In the 1990s, totalFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conserv. Comm., FWRI (2006) LANE SNAPPER - 2gulf coast landings peaked at about 639,000 pounds in 1991 then dropped to 163,000 pounds in1996, peaked again in 1997 and dropped to 113,000 pounds in 2000. Since 2001 landings haveaveraged 216,000 pounds.Commercial catch rates on the Atlantic coast peaked in 1994 then declined, increasedagain from 1997-2001 then have decreased since then (Fig. 4). Gulf coast catch rates for thecommercial fishery were relatively stable until 1998, increased steadily to 2002, then decreasedthrough 2005 (Fig. 5). Atlantic coast recreational angler catch rates, which have shown highervalues since 1997, have been quite variable on the Atlantic coast (Fig. 6). Recreational catchrates on the gulf coast show an increasingly strong decline through 2003, and have sincerebounded slightly (Fig. 7).Fishery-independent-monitoring data show strong young-of-the-year (YOY) recruitmentoccurring in 1994, 1999, 2002, and 2004 on the gulf coast (Fig. 8). Too few YOY were collectedon the Atlantic coast to determine trends. For post-YOY fish, there appeared to be a cyclicalpattern on the Atlantic coast with a low in 1999 and a high in 2003 (Fig. 9). Abundances of post-YOY on the gulf coast were rather low to discern any clear trends (Fig. 10). No incidences ofgross external abnormalities were noted in lane snapper from 1999 to 2005.The Snapper-Grouper Assessment Panel of the South Atlantic Fishery ManagementCouncil found that there were insufficient data to evaluate the condition of the stocksquantitatively and assumed that the stocks were not overfished nor undergoing overfishing.Yield-per-recruit analyses of lane snapper in Puerto Rico showed that yield increased as thelength-at-capture was increased to about 7.9 inches fork length (FL) and when the instantaneousfishing mortality (F) was higher than 0.5 per year (Acosta and Appeldoorn 1992). The fishery inPuerto Rico was harvesting 91% of the potential yield with an age at entry to the fishery thatcorresponded to 9.8 inches FL and an F of 1.13 per year. Estimated fishing mortality in thenorthern Gulf of Mexico during 1991–1994 was one to three times that of lane snapper’s likelynatural mortality rate (Johnson et al. 1995). This would suggest that lane snapper were beingoverfished at that time. No detailed assessment of the condition of lane snapper is available atthis time. The 8-inch minimum size limit for lane snapper was implemented in February 1990.